History.
Danger.
Dedication & fortitude.
Mystery.
Buried treasure!
It's all here in the amazing story, Treasure in a Cornfield.
But this isn't a fictional work. Its author isn't in the Stevenson, Dumas or Sabbatini category. No, Greg Hawley is more of a Clive Cussler and Treasure in a Cornfield is his very real account of discovering, unearthing and creating a permanent legacy of the 1850's Missouri river steamboat, Arabia.
Clicking on the title of this post will take you to the web site of the Arabia Steamboat Museum, a place Claire and I visited briefly earlier this month when we traveled to Kansas City (with Karla and Jo) for a baseball game. We didn't have time to go through the museum then but what I had heard about the project seemed remarkable and so I slipped into the gift shop and bought a copy of Treasure in a Cornfield. I am really glad I did -- and we're planning a return trip to Kansas City soon, specifically to tour the Arabia Steamboat Museum!
Briefly put, Greg Hawley tells a stirring tale of family and friends searching old maps, newspapers and eventaully cornfields (!) for evidence of sunken steamboats. But when they find the Arabia, they've got the seemingly impossible task of going deep, deep down into earth and water to get to her. That adventure, what they find and what they learn is the truly inspirational "stuff" of Treasure in a Cornfield. It is one of the most fun reads I've had in awhile and more than once during my reading, I felt the urging to get up and go exploring myself. That's how the book can make you feel.
So...for adventurous reading, for a lesson in family values, for a gift-giving treat, consider Treasure in a Cornfield by Greg Hawley. And do check out the web site too; you may find yourself desiring to accompany Claire and I to Kansas City when we go!
